Zainab’s murderer Imran Ali hanged at Kot Lakhtpat Jail

LAHORE: Imran Ali, convicted of raping and murdering seven-year-old Zainab and several others, has been hanged at the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore on Wednesday morning.
Imran Ali was hanged in the presence of Superintendant Kot Lakhpat Jail, Magistrate and medical officer.
Zainab’s father Amin Ansari was also present in the premises of the jail. Tight security arrangements were made around Kot Lakhpat Jail before the execution of Imran Ali.
Four members of Imran’s family, including his father and uncle, were present in jail to receive his body.
Earlier, an appeal for the public hanging of Imran Ali was dismissed by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday.
Zainab’s father Amin Ansari had appealed for the public hanging of the murderer Imran Ali. A two-member bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) however told him that the appeal was made very late.
During the hearing, Amin Ansari’s lawyer argued that Imran Ali can be executed in public under Section 22 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 of Pakistan, but the bench responded that only the government has the authority to order a public execution under Section 22
Earlier on Tuesday, around 20 to 30 members who were said to be Imran Ali’s family members and relatives met the convict in the Central Jail Kot Lakhpat.
The family members were only allowed to shake hands with Imran Ali through a window during their meeting which lasted for an hour as the family requested jail authorities to extend the time from 45 minutes.
Talking to media after the meeting, Imran Ali’s relative Ali Muhammad said the family never went to Kasur after the incident. He added that Imran requested his aunt to look after his mother.
In February 2017, an anti-terrorism court handed down death penalty to Imran on four counts after he was found guilty of rape and murder of Zainab. A fine of one million rupees was also slapped on the convict alongside a sum of one million as blood money.
On June 12, Supreme Court Chief Justice Saqib Nisar had turned down his plea against death sentence in rape cum murder case of seven-year-old Zainab Ansari.
Chief Justice Saqib Nisar had taken suo motu notice of delay in implementing sentence of convict. The trial, which was held in the special anti-terrorism court, came to be known as one of the fastest to be concluded in the judicial history of Pakistan.
Zainab was found dead on January 9, 2017 in Kasur district near Lahore several days after her disappearance.
Imran was arrested two weeks after he committed the crime that ignited nationwide protests. Taking suo moto notice, the CJP ordered the concerned authorities to submit report within 24 hours.
The rape and murder of Zainab Ansari was the 12th such case in Kasur district in 2017.